Stock of spurious pesticides seized in Punjab’s Mansa

The Punjab agriculture department on Monday seized a large stock of unauthorised pesticides at Jhanduke village in Mansa

Chandigarh : The Punjab agriculture department on Monday seized a large stock of unauthorised pesticides at Jhanduke village in Mansa.

The Punjab agriculture department on Monday seized a large stock of unauthorised pesticides at Jhanduke village in Mansa.

Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said under the quality control drive, a team led by chief agriculture officer, Mansa, raided Dandiwal Beej Bhandar, Jhanduke, and seized 8.82 quintals and 29 litres of pesticides worth over ₹6 lakh.

The seized stock of unauthorised pesticides belongs to Woodland Crop Science, Marsh Fertichem Ltd (Marketing) and Modern Crop Science, Canesea Crop Chemical Pvt. Ltd. and Cropwell Agro Industries Pvt Ltd, the minister said.

A total of six samples of different pesticides have also been collected as per the Insecticides Act 1968 and Rules 1971 and the department has also initiated the process to lodge an FIR in this matter.

The agriculture department has recently cancelled the licences of two fertiliser companies for supplying substandard di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) to the cooperative societies in the state.

Khudian said that the agriculture department has launched a quality control drive across the state and set a target of testing 4,500 pesticides samples during 2024-25. As many as 1,009 samples have been collected and 18 found misbranded so far.

The department seized 1,200 litres of pesticides from Bathinda on July 18. The seized stock of pesticides was manufactured by Woodland Agritec India (HR), Kaithal to be delivered in the village of Bathinda without obtaining the required licence for the sale of pesticides in the state and an FIR has already been lodged against the responsible persons in this case.